Local unemployment lowers in December

January 29, 2014

The percentage of eligible workers unemployed locally decreased by more than half a percentage point in December when compared to similar statistics from November, according to Ohio Labor Market Information released Tuesday.

Jobless numbers from the Trumbull and Mahoning area were reported at 7.5 percent, more than half a point lower than November 2013, but down just slightly from the December 2012 rate of 7.6 percent.

The numbers reflect the percentage of the civilian labor force that is unemployed. The numbers released Tuesday indicate that the size of the civilian work force in Trumbull and Mahoning counties has dropped 1,700 to 210,400 from 212,100 one month ago.

The total is also down 1,000 from 211,400 reported in December of last year.

Countywide statistics show a 7.5 percent December unemployment rate in Trumbull County, down from 8 percent reported both last month and a year earlier.

Mahoning County statistics were listed at 7.6 percent for last month, a decrease of nearly half a percentage point from the 8.2 percent reported in November, but slightly up from the 7.3 percent reported in December 2012.

On the municipal level, 8.3 percent of workers were jobless in Warren, down a half point from November's 8.8 percent, as well as the 8.9 percent reported in December 2012. The highest substate unemployment rate locally is reported in Youngstown, at 9.1 percent.

That figure is down a full point from the 10.1 percent reported in November, but slightly up from the 8.9 percent reported in December 2012.

The number of workers unemployed in Ohio in December was 416,000, down 11,000 from 427,000 in November. The number of unemployed has increased by 31,000 in the past 12 months from 385,000. The unemployment rate for Ohio was 6.7 percent in December 2012.

The U.S. unemployment rate for December was 6.7 percent, down from 7 percent in November and from 7.9 percent in December 2012.